What is the neurophysiology of pain in ME study about?

Aims: To discover the physiological and chemical abnormalities underlying pain experienced by people with M.E.

Cost: Action for M.E. took over the management of this study in July 2014, following the closure of the CFS Research Foundation, which had already secured and allocated funding for it.

Duration of study: January 2014 to October 2017

In his report to Action for M.E.'s Research Panel, Dr Julius Bourke says:

"This is the first study, to the authors’ knowledge, that has provided clear and validated evidence of the presence of central sensitisation in both CFS and fibromyalgia. It is also the first study to compare fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome in this regard [...] The clinical relevance of central sensitisation in CFS and fibromyalgia is twofold – firstly in that QST are essentially bedside tests and can be performed in the clinic; the second is that it may have potential as a therapeutic drug target, defining a physiological abnormality that may be moderated by pharmacological correction."